1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to safety covers, and more particularly, to a safety cover configured for use on a kitchen stove so as to cover the burner dials, thereby preventing unwanted or accidental tampering of the burner dials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Too often, a tragic house fire is caused by tampering of stove burner dials by children or the mentally impaired. While rear mounted burner controls are almost impossible for a child to reach, front mounted burner controls can be reached by almost any walking toddler. This is often a deadly combination when coupled with the fascination that toddlers have with knobs and dials. Even if parents or care givers carefully police the area around the stove, all it takes is one time and a few minutes alone for a catastrophe to result. Many parents who completely childproof their homes often overlook the stove as a potential disaster source, due to the fact that safety product manufacturers do not provide adequate or easy-to-use solutions for preventing access to stove controls. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which access to front mounted stove burner controls can be restricted to young children and toddlers while allowing easy access for adults.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,386, issued in the name of Miguel, discloses a stove switch cover lock comprising an elongated housing with a lock;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,705, issued in the name of Caan, discloses a range guard comprising an upstanding wall for preventing a person from accidentally touching a stove burner during or after use while still hot;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,162, issued in the name of De Rozarieux et al., discloses a cover device for controls comprising a pivotal window intermediate to two upstanding sidewalls;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,942, issued in the name of Williams et al., discloses a grease shield for range controls comprising a flexibly vinyl material having an edge mounted upon the range adjacent the burner controls, the shield overlying the burner controls;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,667, issued in the name of Seeley et al., discloses a splatter or grease guard comprising a substantially U-shaped apparatus attached to pivots mounted on the side of a stove;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,105, issued in the name of Merritt, discloses a stove burner shield with folding splash guards and locking control knob protective cover;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,963, issued in the name of Hoshowski, discloses a method and apparatus for protecting a stove control panel from splatter.
U.S. Pat. No. D 325,249, issued in the name of Kliebert, discloses an ornamental design for a splash guard; and
U.S. Pat. No. D 347,550, issued in the name of Boone, discloses an ornamental design for an electric range control panel cover.
Consequently, there exists a continuous need for new ideas and enhancements for existing products in the burner dial industry.